The turkey hunter’s guide to HEVI-Shot’s selection of nontoxic shotshell loads.
By Turkey & Turkey Hunting Staff
You must be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of HEVI-Shot. This specialized ammo company from Sweet Home, Oregon, has been quietly pumping out millions of shotshells for 23 years. But even if you know of them, do you really understand what exactly they make?
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
Simply put, HEVI-Shot offers only nontoxic shotshell hunting loads. They don’t make centerfire or rimfire ammo and they don’t load anything with lead.
However, to make pellets for shotshells, several options of nontoxic materials can be used. And HEVI-Shot offers them all, in a wide variety of options. To learn more about what they offer turkey hunters, we interviewed their Product Manager, Scott Turner.
HEVI-SHOT TODAY
Established in 2000, HEVI-Shot was a true startup company with the initial goal of making waterfowl ammo that outperformed steel, since lead was banned nine years prior in 1991. They spent more than a year developing their very own alloy mixture using tungsten and other metals. The result was a very heavy pellet far superior to steel, but also outperformed lead due to its amazing density.
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
“Over the past two decades, we have become an industry leader in high-performance, nonlead projectiles,” said Turner. “Hunters tell us they are impressed with our large selection of product options.”
HEVI-Shot makes its own bismuth pellets, and its own recipe of tungsten pellets, too. These homemade, specialized alloy materials give the company’s products their unique edge because they have full control of the quality process from start to finish.
“We are well known for making the very first ‘Heavier Than Lead’ pellets, which are our 12 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) tungsten pellets,” explained Turner. “We were also the first to couple nondeforming pellets with all-natural flax seed buffer and nanoparticle lubricants to generate tight patterns.”
Since its beginning, and as a smaller company, HEVI-Shot had to rely on outside vendors for components and some manufacturing help. For more than two decades, it did quite well for itself, yet still had challenges caused by relying on others.
That recently changed in February 2021, when the ammunition powerhouse, Vista Outdoor, purchased HEVI-Shot. This is the same company that owns Federal in Anoka, Minnesota, and Remington Ammunition in Lonoke, Arkansas.
The high pellet count and ultra-dense nature of #9 shot size HEVI-18 TSS provides outstanding energy and velocity that will anchor tough gobblers at longer ranges. Photo credit Chris Berens
“Under new ownership, we instantly gained access to hundreds of years of experience making ammo and new resources to back us,” said Turner. “Today, HEVI-Shot is the same as it always was. We are still a humble factory working hard in small-town U.S.A. We certainly operate independently from our sister companies, but now, we are much stronger.”
In 2022, HEVI-Shot revaluated their entire catalog of product offerings. They discontinued many of their possibly confusing product names and condensed their product options to become simple and streamlined.
“That revaluation doesn’t mean HEVI-Shot’s current product list is small. It certainly is not,” explained Turner. “We still have more than 100 specific loadings which are organized into four different product categories: Waterfowl, Upland Game, Predator and, of course, Wild Turkey!”
LOADED FOR TURKEYS
HEVI-Shot has three main product lines in their Turkey category. Each one services a specific niche customer, in terms of price, versatility and high performance.
HEVI-Metal Turkey
Although the company makes several “HEVI-Metal” products aimed at waterfowl hunting, HEVI-Metal for wild turkey has graphics of gobblers on its box, so there is no confusion about what it’s for. The loads are stacked with bismuth (30% of the payload) on top of steel (70%) in the same shell.
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
Three loads are offered; two 12-gauge loads in 3-inch or 3½-inch lengths and one 20-gauge in 3-inch load. All loads are shot size No. 4. Prices range from $15.99 to $19.99 for a five-count box.
“Bismuth is 22% denser than steel, delivering 44% more downrange energy, this means it kills better than steel. So, because this is a ‘stacked load’ with both steel and bismuth pellets, it’s way more powerful than a straight steel payload,” said Turner. “HEVI-Metal Turkey is excellent for hunters who chase gobblers in areas that require a nontoxic load (or prefer to hunt with nontoxic loads) and need it to be more cost effective to fit a specific budget.”
Magnum Blend
This is a mixed 12-g/cc tungsten load that features three different shot sizes — No. 5, 6 and 7 — all in one load. This three-shot-size blend offers a powerful payload with a high pellet count. Ounce-for-ounce and dollar-for-dollar, this load is quite impressive for its price.
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
Five loads are offered; one 10 gauge in 3½ inch, two 12-gauge loads in 3 inch or 3½ inch, one 20 gauge in 3 inch, and one 28 gauge in 3 inch. Prices range from $38.99 to $60.99 for a five-count box.
“We make this tungsten alloy ourselves. It’s the same pellet as our HEVI-XII waterfowl load, which got its name because the tungsten alloy weighs 12 grams per cubic centimeter,” explained Turner. “It’s like shooting a lead load in 4, 5 or 6, but instead you are shooting shot sizes 5, 6 and 7 together, with heavier-than-lead, more powerful pellets. With that naturally higher pellet count, hunters get about 28% more hits on target. The result is more kills and better stories, especially when compared to using a traditional copper-plated lead load.”
HEVI-18
HEVI-18 features ultra-dense TSS pellets, which have been taking the world by storm because it’s more lethal than any other pellet material on the planet. Payloads of No. 7 or 9 TSS shot provide high pellet counts—in many cases, more than double compared to lead loads of the same weight. The shot’s density of 18 g/cc provides greater energy and velocities at long ranges.
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
“Although we are incredibly prideful in making our own 12-g/cc tungsten alloy, we decided to listen to our customers and offer turkey loads using sourced TSS,” said Turner. “Coupled with our quality components and manufacturing expertise, our TSS loads are simply outstanding.”
Twelve loads are offered; two 12-gauge in 3-inch with shot size 7 or 9, two 12-gauge in 3½-inch with shot size 7 or 9, one 12-gauge in 2¾-inch (for reduced recoil) with shot size 9, two 20-gauge in 3-inch with shot size 7 or 9, one 20-gauge in 2¾-inch (for reduced recoil) with shot size 9, two 28-gauge in 3-inch with shot size 7 or 9, two .410-bore in 3-inch with shot size 7 or 9. Prices range from $45.99 to $103.99 for a five-count box.
“This year, I am especially excited to get out and hunt with our newest loads, such as our new 28-gauge shells, and our new 12- and 20-gauge options that feature a 2¾-inch shell for a lighter payload and velocity, providing reduced recoil for the shooter,” explained Turner. “Our 12-gauge reduced-recoil, 28-gauge and .410-bore offerings might surprise some folks, but they shouldn’t. TSS pellets’ incredible density are perfect for smaller payload weights and sub-gauge shotshells. These smaller options provide excellent, lethal performance with a significant drop in recoil, compared to larger 12-gauge loads.”
HIGH-QUALITY OPTIONS
In conclusion, HEVI-Shot offers three lines of turkey ammo, loaded with different materials that deliver good (steel-bismuth), better (tungsten) or the best (TSS) options for its customers to choose from based on their need, preference and budget.
JJ Reich, HEVI-Shot’s Senior Media Relations Manager, has utilized the lethal payload of HEVI-18 to great effect, including this Ohio gobbler that he tagged on a soggy morning last April. Photo credit Chris Berens
“When making shotshells, overall quality means using only high-quality hulls, primers, powder, wads and shot,” said Turner. “We are very particular on what components we select for all our products, and the result speaks for itself.”
Whichever a hunter chooses: HEVI-Metal Turkey, Magnum Blend or HEVI-18, these shells should not disappoint. HEVI-Shot is available at dealers nationwide, or turkey hunters can now buy direct online at www.hevishot.com.
PELLET METALS
ADEQUATE: Steel is made of Iron (Fe), Carbon (C) and other elements to create an ultra-strong structural and fabricating material. Steel is everywhere, and steel shot used for hunting is nothing new, in fact steel pellets have been around since the early 1970s. Steel makes for a good pellet type, however pellets need to be large-sized to be lethal enough.
GOOD: Bismuth (Bi) is naturally a brittle metal. When it’s mixed with Tin (Sn) and other elements it becomes an alloy that makes for a robust shot pellet. A few ammo makers introduced bismuth-based ammo in the late ’90s, but it went away due to the reputation of its alloy recipe not being quite hard and reliable enough. Starting in 2019, several big brands including HEVI-Shot, Remington and Federal Ammunition brought it back in an alloy that’s better than ever.
BETTER: Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable and has a relatively low melting point. Due to these qualities, it has been quite an effective projectile material in ammunition for centuries. Lead pellets are often coated by Copper (Cu). Copper is much harder and smoother than lead. It helps reduce pellet deformity and friction between the shot and the barrel walls. It can transfer a bit more energy when hitting its target. This means copper-plated pellets are better than just lead.
BEST: Tungsten (W) is a rare, ultra-hard metal, mined in only two operations worldwide. When mixed with softer metals it becomes a heavy-duty alloy that’s much heavier and more effective at long range than any other shot type. HEVI-Shot’s tungsten alloy recipe is set at 12 g/cc. The industry’s most ultra-dense recipe for a nonlead pellet is called Tungsten Super Shot, nicknamed TSS, which has a density of 18 g/cc. That’s why TSS is the ultimate, long-range solution for turkey hunting, yet comes with the highest purchase price.
A LESSON IN DENSITY
The key to understanding any modern turkey load is grasping the overall concept of pellet density.
For example, HEVI-Shot uses different pellet materials: steel, bismuth or tungsten for their shotshells aimed at waterfowl, upland birds, turkeys or predators. All of these metals have different densities.
Photo courtesy HEVI-Shot
Steel has the lightest density of 7.8 g/cc. Bismuth is next at 9.6 g/cc, and HEVI-Shot tungsten is the heaviest at 12 g/cc. Regarding lethality, it’s considered to be the same order: steel, bismuth, then tungsten.
HEVI-Shot does not load any product containing lead pellets. But for comparison’s sake, the density of lead is 11.2 g/cc, which falls between bismuth and tungsten.
Density relates to lethality directly in the way of: a denser (heavier) material will carry its velocity and penetration energy longer. This means it will hit harder (faster) at medium and longer ranges, plus carry its lethality (in foot-pounds) out to longer distances, before slowing down enough to be noneffective.
Think about it, if you had a whiffle ball, a tennis ball and a baseball thrown at you at the same speed, which one would hurt the most? And which one is likely to still sting when standing at a longer distance?
As you know, it’s the projectile that is the densest, in other words, has the most weight (heaviest) that would do the most damage.
Density also relates to shot size. Since a one-centimeter cube of steel weighs a lot less than a one-centimeter cube of tungsten, then two pellets of those materials would be a lot different when it comes to size. Meaning the 12-g/cc tungsten pellet would be about three times smaller than the steel.
The size of the projectile influences penetration. If punctured in the foot with the same force by a large nail or a small needle, which one do you think would go deeper? The smaller diameter, of course. It’s the same with large shot size No. 4 compared to the tiny No. 9.
The size of shot also affects pellet count. In a 3-inch shotshell hull, you can fit a lot fewer pellets of the large shot size No. 4 compared to the tiny No. 9. Yet more pellets in the hull equals more pellets in the downrange pattern. More pellets increase the likelihood of them hitting the target.
So, if you choose a shotshell that features a material that is denser than another material, you will benefit by having more downrange energy, deeper penetration and/or higher pellet counts, which leads to fuller patterns with more hits on target at longer distances. It’s science and it just makes sense.